Pathogenic bacteria are bacteria that cause bacterial infections. There exists a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria species that contribute to a variety of diseases and infections including bronchitis, diarrhea, diphtheria, ear infections, food poisoning, gonorrhea, leprosy, Lyme disease, meningitis, pink eye, pneumonia, sinus infections, strep throat, syphilis, tetanus, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, ulcers, urinary tract infections, whooping cough, and yeast infections.
Immediate initiation of a therapy, such as administration of antibiotics, is often highly beneficial for treating a bacterial infection. There are circumstances where a person having a bacterial infection is unable or unwilling to visit a doctor in-person for diagnosis. Still, such a person would greatly benefit from, or may even require, treatment.
Some types of bacterial infections are considered ‘uncomplicated’ and often a person having such an infection recognizes symptoms based on past experiences without visiting a doctor. For example, a person having a urinary tract infection (UTI) may recognize a burning sensation during urination and conclude that they likely have a UTI. The person still must go through the inconvenience of scheduling a doctor's appointment and visiting the doctor for appropriate treatment.
Additionally, a person having a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterial infection, such as gonorrhea or syphilis, may feel too embarrassed to visit a doctor in person. A need therefore exists for an apparatus for analyzing a biological specimen, for communicating with a doctor, and for receiving treatment in a location convenient to a user.
Currently, a person having a medical condition seeking treatment generally submits a biological specimen to a doctor in-person for testing and analysis. For example, a doctor may use a machine having a reflectance spectroscope or “reflectometer” to analyze specimens of body fluid to determine the presence of a particular substance in a person's urine such as the machine described in U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2008/0186499 to Krauth, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. Reflectance spectroscopy uses the linear relationship between absorbance and concentration of an absorbing species (Beer's law), to determine the contents of a specimen. An unknown concentration of an analyte may be determined by measuring the amount of light that a specimen absorbs and applying Beer's law. If the absorptivity coefficient of the analyte is not known, the unknown concentration may be determined using a working curve of absorbance versus concentration derived from standards.
Reflectance instruments may be used to measure important properties and relative levels of key analytes in urine by measuring relative reflectance, usually from various specific pads, on a urine dipstick. Examples of important properties include pH, the presence of blood, and specific gravity. Examples of key urine analytes include, but are not limited to, glucose, urobilinogen, nitrite, and protein. The measured properties and/or analytes may be reviewed by a doctor who then may provide a diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate course of treatment with medication.
With advancements in telemedicine, it is becoming more common to provide clinical health care over a distance using telecommunication and information technologies. U.S. Pat. No. 6,330,491 to Lion describes a system for vending prescription medications using a network of remotely distributed, automated dispensing units. The system includes a remote vending machine (RVM) unit having a plurality of drugs stored therein and coupled to a host computer via a network. A user may input a patient identification key code at the RVM unit that is communicated to the host computer and the RVM unit may dispense prescribed medication to the user.
U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2009/0125324 to Keravich describes a medical product dispensing system including a vending machine having a user interface including a data entry and communication device, an identification device, a biometric data collection device, and a payment device. The biometric data collection device is configured to measure biometric characteristics using an external device that is electrically coupled to the vending machine or by receiving data at the vending machine from an external test or laboratory site. The vending machine also may store and dispense medical products. These previously-known systems suffer from a variety of drawbacks including the lack of communication with a doctor from the vending machine and the inconvenience of having to visit a doctor or laboratory before receiving medication.
There is a need to provide analysis of medical conditions at a location convenient to a user using an apparatus that may communicate with a doctor located at a distance from the apparatus for diagnosis based on the analysis.